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Resale reality check

Does a deck add value?

Both deck types sit in the national top ten for payback — and a backyard patio, surprisingly, is among the worst returns tracked. Here are the 2025 numbers, and how to read them without being misled by either.

The 2025 Cost vs. Value numbers

Wood deck addition

94.9%

of cost recouped at resale · 8th of 28 projects nationally

Modeled cost
$18,263
Value added
$17,323

Composite deck addition

88.5%

of cost recouped at resale · 9th of 28 projects nationally

Modeled cost
$25,096
Value added
$22,199

Backyard patio

46%

of cost recouped at resale · one of the weakest returns tracked

Modeled cost
$51,454
Value added
$23,672

The report models a standardized deck (16 × 20 ft with bench, stairs and railing) as national averages — not appraisals, and not a promise for any single home.

How to read a payback percentage

A smaller spend can win the percentage

Wood edges composite partly because it costs less up front — while composite boards are commonly quoted at 25+ years of service against roughly 10–15 for bare wood. A payback percentage counts the first sale; it does not count the second decade.

A patio costs more and gives back less

Hardscape is personal — specific stone, pattern and footprint travel badly between buyers, who may budget to redo it. Nationally a patio costs about twice a composite deck and recoups around half the share.

A national average is not your market

These are modeled averages across 119 markets. Local demand, how the deck fits the house, and the quality of the build move the number far more than the national ranking does. Treat the table as a sanity check, not an appraisal.

Common questions

Does a deck add more value than a patio?

In the 2025 Cost vs. Value numbers, both deck types recoup far more of their cost than a backyard patio (94.9% and 88.5% versus 46%) while costing less to build. Different studies use different methodologies and report different patio returns — the deck-over-patio gap is consistent across sources, the exact percentages are not.

Composite or wood — which pays back more?

Wood decks show the higher percentage (94.9% vs 88.5%) in 2025, largely because a wood deck costs less up front. Composite costs more but is commonly credited with roughly twice the service life with far less maintenance — a longer-run trade than a one-sale percentage captures.

Sources

Estimates from a survey of modeled projects

Cost-vs-value studies compare modeled project costs with what real-estate professionals expect projects to add at resale. They are useful for comparing options at a national level; your market, your house and the quality of the build decide the actual number.

Turn the payback question into a real project

BuildIn AI takes a photo of your backyard and turns it into a design render, a component breakdown with dimensions, an indicative material list — and a step-by-step construction guide written for the deck you actually have.

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